The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 485

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 485

—And the Mad Woman?

Wrath’s plump cheeks hollowed out sharply.

—Where in the world did that Mad Woman come from!

He trembled, saying he hadn’t sensed her presence at all.

‘I didn’t know either.’

I exhaled a sigh while looking at the baby kangaroo.

‘I had a suspicion, but…’

This area was the Kangaroo Habitat, and the Dormitory was surrounded by the City Outskirts, so a kangaroo appearing here wasn’t impossible.

But finding a photograph that Ensia had taken in the baby kangaroo’s pouch was absurd. It was clearly Merlin.

‘So that’s where the photograph that went missing earlier ended up.’

I recalled Ensia’s tearful expression before we left for the Sinjuoryeong Conference Hall, lamenting that an A-rank photograph had disappeared.
I’d simply thought it was lost, but I never imagined it had fallen into the hands of that Mad Woman.

“Merlin.”

I approached the kangaroo while covering my mouth to suppress my reaction.

“Yes!”

Merlin nodded as if grateful to be recognized.
I still wasn’t accustomed to hearing a woman’s sticky voice emanating from an animal’s mouth, or the blush rising on its cheeks. Goosebumps prickled across my forearms.

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be able to come for a while?”
“That was ages ago. I finished up early because I wanted to see you.”

She chuckled, saying she had finished all her tasks.

“You could have taken your time…”

I muttered in a low voice, pointing at a photograph jutting out from Merlin’s apron pocket.

“How did you get that?”
“I took it while the child was sleeping. Want to know how?”
“…No.”

I shook my head, not particularly wanting to know.

“She creates such fascinating artifacts, understands your worth, and is such a good child.”

Merlin laughed, saying she had stroked Ensia’s head while she slept.

-C-creepy! My skin is crawling!

Wrath’s hair stood on end like freshly spun cotton candy as he shuddered.

‘Indeed…’

The thought of Merlin stroking my head while I slept sent chills down my spine. But there was something about her explanation that puzzled me.

“That’s a bit unexpected.”
“What is?”
“Even though you knew how to take photographs with the camera, why did you only take a few pictures?”

Given Merlin’s usual nature, she should have taken both the camera and all the photographs.
It was strange that she left everything else behind and took only a handful of pictures.

“Why is that unexpected? It’s only natural.”

Merlin tilted her head as if confused by my question.

“If I left the camera behind, that child would continue taking photographs of me, wouldn’t she? You can’t cut open the belly of the goose that lays golden eggs.”

She laughed, saying she deliberately didn’t take many photographs to ensure Ensia wouldn’t run away.

“Ah….”

My lips trembled. The moment I heard Merlin’s words, an icy chill swept down my spine.

-Kyiiiiek! I-I can’t take this anymore!

Wrath shrieked in terror and fled into the ice flower bracelet.

I swallowed hard as I watched Merlin grin with unbridled amusement.

‘Ensia was manageable compared to this.’

Ensia was overwhelming in her own right, but this was far worse. No—this was genuinely terrifying.

“…So why did you come here?”
“Obviously because I wanted to see you.”

Merlin threw a sword without any hesitation. I still couldn’t get used to such bluntness.

“And I was a bit concerned.”
“Concerned?”

I tilted my head in confusion. I couldn’t understand what she could suddenly be worried about.

“The final Oma has finished preparing.”
“The final Oma? You mean the Holy Sword Association?”
“Yes.”

Merlin nodded, saying the Holy Sword Association would likely unseal itself soon.

“The Holy Sword Association….”

So those Sword Ghosts were coming out.

When the Holy Sword Association first revealed itself, people had hoped they were swordsmen with sacred power like the Holy Kingdom, fighting for the salvation of all living beings.

But that was a grave misconception.

The Holy Sword Association didn’t mean “association of holy swords”—it meant “those who revere the sword as sacred.”

‘They look similar, but they’re completely different.’

The Sword Ghosts of the Holy Sword Association were madmen who would smile and drive a blade into their parents’ and siblings’ backs if it meant advancing swordsmanship and sword techniques.

“You wouldn’t know, but Zigheart and the Holy Sword Association have a terrible relationship.”

Merlin narrowed her eyes as she mentioned that the two factions fought whenever they saw each other.

‘That would make sense.’

The Holy Sword Association attacked renowned swordsmanship clans and plundered their martial manuals to strengthen their own power.

A collision with Zigheart, renowned for swordsmanship even among the Six Emperors, was inevitable.

“There was even an instance where the Head of House of Zigheart and the Holy Sword Association’s leader clashed directly.”
“I know that.”

I nodded. There were rumors that Zigheart had ceased its activities and the Holy Sword Association had sealed itself away because Glen and the Holy Sword Association’s leader had collided head-on.

But looking at Glen now, the reality of Zigheart seemed somewhat different from the rumors.

“If you encounter the Holy Sword Association, it’s best to avoid them for now.”

Merlin waved her hand, telling me to assess my opponent carefully before deciding whether to fight.

“Ah, and be careful of our side too—of course, I’ll warn you about that beforehand.”
“Eden? Is there something going on there too?”
“The number of children wearing helmets and masks has increased. Some of them are particularly strong.”
“Strong children?”
“I mentioned it before. The Green King. That helmet’s owner has even awakened.”

I recalled hearing the name Green King mentioned in passing before.

“If it’s the Green King, it must be an Orc King’s helmet.”
“Not just a king, but a Lord who commands all the orcs across the entire Continent. The vessel is young, but they might be stronger than you are now.”

Merlin lowered her expression as she spoke of a king among kings.

“It won’t manifest immediately, but there’s no harm in being cautious beforehand.”
“Is that why you came—to tell me these things?”
“I came because I wanted to see you.”

She laughed softly, insisting that she was the Holy Sword Association, that being the Green King was secondary—she had simply wanted to see me.

“But I should stop here for today.”

Merlin pressed down on a photograph protruding from her pocket and shook her head.

“Someone who protects you is coming.”
“Sheryl? You knew that too?”
“Of course. I’ve met her before.”

She shook her head, saying she never missed an aura she’d encountered once.
I felt Wrath trembling inside the bracelet.

“Handsome Raon.”
“…Don’t do that.”
“Tell the girl who takes photographs that I’ve also joined the Handsome Raon Cult.”

Merlin scratched her belly, saying it would be amusing.

“I refuse.”
“Then I’ll tell her myself later.”

This woman—I couldn’t tell where her jokes ended and her sincerity began.

“This little one wants me to brush its fur too. Its back seems itchy. Well then, I’ll be going….”

Merlin waved goodbye, saying we’d meet again, and vanished.

Tap.

The baby kangaroo bounded forward, as if asking me to scratch its back.

“Brushing its fur is simple enough… huh?”

I took out a brush and began grooming the kangaroo’s back when I stopped. A photograph still remained on the kangaroo’s belly.

‘Merlin left this behind?’

Given her usual personality, that made no sense.

“You didn’t….”

As I reached for the photograph, the kangaroo swatted my hand away and retreated.

“Ah, you caught me.”

Merlin stuck her tongue out playfully and scratched her head.

“I need to collect more of your photos, so I can’t leave just yet.”

She spoke as though she’d entrusted the photograph to Ensia, then fled into the thicket.

“See you next time.”
“Hey!”

I called after Merlin, but she didn’t even glance back, vanishing into the bushes. I lacked the courage to pursue her, so I simply sighed.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

I pressed my palm against my forehead and exhaled deeply. Being tormented consecutively by Ensia and Merlin had left my mind utterly drained.
The stress I’d released against Heekyuk Je came flooding back.

‘I need to blow off some steam.’

Shaking my head, I entered the Dormitory.

“You’re here!”
“Commander, you’re late!”
“Why are you coming so late?”
“We should’ve sent you off earlier… huh?”

The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen who’d been about to complain about my late arrival fell silent upon seeing my eyes. My pupils were tinged with the same madness as when I conducted focus-enhancement training.

“Why, why is he like that?”
“Did his eyes go mad?”
“He was in a good mood just a moment ago!”

The swordsmen of the Gwangpung Corps trembled, their shoulders shaking as they felt the eerie aura blooming beneath Raon’s feet.

“Sorry for being late. Let’s start training right away.”

Raon drew the Heavenly Sword, his voice dripping with a chilling coldness.

“Real combat style.”

At those words, the faces of the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen turned deathly pale.

-Getting slapped in heaven and cursed in the Demon Realm, as they say.

Wrath poked his face out from above the bracelet and shook his head.

-Your personality is the strongest across dimensions, truly….

*

*

*

“Huff!”

Martha exhaled heavily, driving her sword into the ground. Her entire body felt drained, and she would have collapsed if she weren’t supporting herself this way.

“Damn it….”
“Ugh….”

Burren remained on one knee, unable to lift his head, while Lunan lay flat on his back against the earth, only managing faint groans.

“Ahhh….”
“I’m going to die.”
“Today was especially brutal. What, what on earth happened?”

Just before the squad leaders collapsed, the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen had all fallen as well, crawling across the ground.

“Hmm….”

Martha swept her gaze across the Training Ground, narrowing her eyes.

‘The training intensity is definitely higher.’

Since the duel tournament was happening just two days away, Raon was pushing the swordsmen harder than usual.
Everyone’s body and spirit were utterly exhausted from defending against sword strikes that felt like actual combat.

Boom!

At the explosive sound that shook the earth, I turned my gaze toward the center of the Training Ground.
Mark Goeten was rolling across the ground after being sent flying by my sword strike.

“Ugh….”

Mark Goeten tried to rise immediately, but unable to absorb the impact, he fell to his knees again.

“Stop whining and get up.”

I clicked my tongue long as I watched the Gwangpung Corps still groaning.

“You all know better than anyone that you haven’t received proper training up until now. Think of this as making up for all of it at once.”
“Ugh….”
“What… what are you saying….”

The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen, too exhausted to answer, could only shake their heads.

“If you don’t want to tarnish Zigheart’s name in the duel tournament, you need to endure this much. Get your heads in the game.”

Despite my shout, the Gwangpung Corps could only struggle without managing to rise. But one person was different.

“Ugh!”

Martha exhaled a hot breath as if blood were welling up, straightening her waist.

‘That’s right. This is not the time to be lying down.’

I haven’t accomplished a single one of my goals.

My first and only objective was to find my mother. I wanted to reclaim her no matter what it took, to return to those impoverished yet blissful days.

But the more I dwelled on the past, the sharper my nerves became each day—as if they might snap entirely—tormented by nightmares of my mother dying or being abducted by the White Blood Cult.

I had convinced myself that only I was suffering, lonely, and in pain, and I unleashed my rage upon the world itself.

I said and did things to the Gwangpung Corps children that I shouldn’t have, and I didn’t even realize how shameful it was.

But spending time with Raon, Burren, Lunan, and the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen, I came to understand that I was walking down a wrong path.

Of course, there were difficult moments in between.

During the operation to rescue Raon, when I saw the White Blood Cult Master possessing my mother’s body, I feared I might return to those days when I raged against the world. The terror kept me from sleeping properly.

But because my comrades stood beside me, promising to help with anything and everything, I no longer suffered those nightmares nor felt that burning anger toward the world.

Shwing!

Martha pulled the sword embedded in the sand. The dust that erupted with the blade traced a refreshing wave, as if erasing the pain etched upon my chest.

Exhale.

She drew a faint smile as she looked at Raon, breathing in deeply.

That foolish idiot.

Raon was busy enough with his own training, yet he always looked after the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen.
Because I could feel how genuinely he cared for the Gwangpung Corps, whenever we trained together, I didn’t notice my exhaustion or the passage of time.
I was always grateful, always indebted to him.

Thanks to you, I now have more things I must do.

Liberating my mother from the White Blood Cult Master was my highest priority—something I had to accomplish even if it cost me my life—but now there was one more thing I absolutely had to do.
I wanted to help this fool who thinks only of his comrades.

Raon must have his own goals too.

Raon swung his sword as if possessed by something. It wasn’t something one could do simply by wanting to grow stronger.
It meant he had an important goal, whatever it was. No matter what it was, I wanted to help him achieve it.

‘To do that….’

I had to fight now.

Martha wrapped her aura around her heavy, waterlogged body and lifted her sword.
She forced strength into her screaming limbs and took a step toward Raon.

“Hm?”

Raon’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting Martha to rise.

Whoooosh!

Martha pointed her raised sword at Raon, twisting her lips into a grin.

“You’re not done yet. Come at me!”

*

*

*

The day of the duel tournament.

An antique-styled Sparring Arena rose at the center of a massive Training Ground erected behind the Sinjuoryeong Conference Hall.

People had arrived at the Training Ground since dawn to secure good seats for the duel tournament, which could be called the grandest event of the entire festival.

By the time breakfast had ended, the entire Training Ground was so packed with people that there wasn’t even a gap to squeeze through.

“I’m excited. Who do you think will win?”
“Zigheart, right? It doesn’t look like anyone can beat the White Sword Dragon?”
“But the age limit is forty, not thirty. Even Raon Zigheart can’t be certain.”
“True. The young head of the Yakan family could probably even defeat the White Sword Dragon?”
“And they say Yupen’s Guardian Captain is no joke either.”

The spectators busied their tongues far more than they did while eating, debating who might appear in today’s duel tournament and who seemed likely to win.

“You’re all looking at this too small.”

A bald gambler interjected into the conversation, clicking his tongue.

“What do you mean?”
“This is a celebration for the establishment of the Divine Continent Five Regions. Do you think they’ll just sit idle? They’ll parade out their hidden masters and boast of their strength.”
“Hmm, that’s true….”
“Right. It’s a perfect opportunity to make a name for themselves.”
“If the Six Emperors participate, they’d actually welcome it. They could build their reputation by crushing them.”

The gambler gestured, telling them to bet on the Divine Continent Five Regions if they wanted to win money.

“But isn’t Raon Zigheart different? He has the epithet of the Sword Dragon, doesn’t he?”
“Even so, he’s only twenty-one. If we’re talking about the Divine Continent Five Regions level, there must be warriors under forty who are stronger than the White Sword Dragon.”
“True, there is quite an age gap.”
“Besides, there are rumors that Raon Zigheart won’t even appear. The Gwangpung Unit is strong among the younger generation, but overall, they’re still immature.”

As the gamblers participated in the conversation, a proper debate opened on who would objectively win.

As the sun moved to its zenith, the masters of the Divine Continent Five Regions gradually revealed themselves one by one, and the VIP seats arranged near the Sparring Arena began to fill.

“Huh?”
“It’s Zigheart!”
“The White Sword Dragon is at the very front!”
“They came. But why do their eyes look like that….”

The spectators trembled as they watched me and the Gwangpung Corps.
Unlike the other participants, the eyes of the Zigheart swordsmen gleamed with a sharp, cold light like soldiers standing before war.

Yet I and the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen, despite the madness glinting in our eyes, sat quietly in the waiting area.

Shortly after, a bell tolled the tenth hour, and Heekyuk Je ascended the platform.
At his light, graceful steps—as if walking across the sky—cheers erupted throughout the entire Training Ground.

“Uooooooo!”
“It’s Heekyuk Je!”
“Baek Gyeong! Baek Gyeong! Baek Gyeong!”
“Thank you for coming all this way despite your busy schedule.”

Heekyuk Je greeted the spectators seated in the Training Ground in turn, then took his place at the center of the Sparring Arena.

“A festival of warriors must conclude with a test of martial prowess. Today shall be a gathering where the warriors who have journeyed here refine their skills through friendly competition and elevate their honor. However, without a little spice, it would be dreadfully dull….”

As she snapped her fingers, a spatial rift tore open in the air, and a rectangular box tumbled forth.

Heekyuk Je lifted the box high and opened its lid. From the crimson sphere within erupted an overwhelming heat that banished the winter’s chill.

“The heart of a Lava Siri—a spirit creature said to dwell in the lava lands.”

She displayed the Lava Siri’s heart to all present, then sealed the lid once more.

“The victor of this tournament shall receive this precious elixir! Of course, I shall also provide a cooling elixir to ensure you can safely absorb it.”
“Wooooooooow!”
“The Divine Continent Five Regions are the greatest!”
“Long live Heekyuk Je!”

The entire Training Ground surged like waves at the prospect of such a magnificent prize.

“There is no need to delay further, so I shall explain the rules at once. This tournament is open to any warrior under forty years of age, excluding the leaders of each faction. The victor remains, and the defeated withdraw—a beautifully simple format.”

Heekyuk Je announced that the tournament would end the moment no challenger stepped forward, then descended from the Sparring Arena.

Whoosh!

The instant she departed, a man ascended to the Sparring Arena with the lightness of a leaf caught on the wind. Despite the thick armor encasing his frame, his movements were remarkably nimble.

“I am Jeron of the Katan Knights!”

He introduced himself and asked if anyone would dare challenge him.

Raon nudged Crain with his shoulder beside him.

“…Me again?”
“Crain of Zigheart.”
“Sigh….”

Crain gritted his teeth and climbed into the Sparring Arena.

“I am Crain of Zigheart!”

Crain approached the center of the arena and bowed to Jeron.

The Judge stepped forward, confirmed the identities of both fighters, and nodded.

“I will now begin the duel between Crain of Zigheart and Jeron of the Katan Knights!”

The moment the Judge lowered his hand and stepped back, Crain pushed off the ground.

“Now, let’s at least exchange proper greetings first….”
“I don’t care about that!”

Crain’s eyes blazed with wild intensity as he unleashed a torrent of sword strikes that spread like sunlight.

Clang!

Jeron couldn’t withstand the impact and dropped to one knee.

“You… coward….”
“Coward? What happens if you lose here?”
“Wh-what are you talking about!”
“You’ll just get scolded and that’s it. But if we lose….”

A sickly yellow madness blazed in Crain’s eyes. He roared and unleashed a wave of sword energy.

“We die!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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